Museums and Cultural Centers
in Dorgali and Cala Gonone

Room I – From Prehistory to the Nuragic Age

This room displays finds from the Late Neolithic to the Nuragic civilization. Highlights include artifacts from the Ozieri Culture (4100–3500 BC), such as decorated ceramics and tools made of stone and bone from the Bue Marino Cave. Items from the Monte Claro Culture (2900–2300 BC), the Beaker Culture, and Bonnanaro Culture include ritual and daily-use objects.

Significant attention is given to Serra Orrios, with polished stone tools, bronze-casting molds, and textile implements. This room also features faithful replicas of two famous Nuragic bronze figurines—a warrior and a boxer—originally found in Cala Gonone and now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Cagliari.

Room II – From the Nuragic Period to Romanization

This room showcases glass paste necklaces from Nuraghe Arvu and Ispinigoli Cave. The Romanization phase is illustrated through amphora fragments from Tiscali and materials from Nuraghe Mannu, including pottery, metal objects, coins, and animal remains. A highlight here is a rare Roman balance scale (statera)—one of the best-preserved examples in Sardinia.

Room III – Roman, Late Roman, and Modern Periods

This final room presents remarkable pieces such as a replica of a Roman military diploma awarded to Tunila Caresio in 96 AD, granting him Roman citizenship. Also featured are early medieval pendants from Tillai, a lead ingot of Iberian origin, and amphorae from the Gulf of Orosei and Sos Sirios cave, attesting to vibrant trade between Africa and Rome. The exhibit concludes with a notable coin collection (Punic, Roman, and Late Roman), including gold and silver coins, and locally made ceramics from modern times.

A guided tour of the museum provides context to what visitors will later encounter at the archaeological sites across the region.

July – August – September
🕘 9:30–12:30 / 17:30–19:30
Other months: By appointment only
Closed on Mondays
🎟️ Free entry

Salvatore Fancello was born in Dorgali on May 8, 1916, into a humble farming family. From a young age, he displayed extraordinary artistic talent, especially in drawing and clay modeling. After his primary and vocational education in Dorgali, he won a scholarship to attend the ISIA (Higher Institute for Artistic Industries) in Monza (1930–1932). Under the guidance of renowned masters like Arturo Martini and Marino Marini, he honed his skills and began exhibiting his works with great success.

Between 1933 and 1936, he took part in several national and regional exhibitions, receiving prestigious awards such as the Grand Prize at the 6th Milan Triennale in 1936 for a series of zodiac-themed ceramic tiles. After moving to Milan with fellow artists Giovanni Pintori and Costantino Nivola, he worked with renowned ceramic studios in Albisola, creating innovative and acclaimed pieces.

Drafted into the military in 1939, Fancello continued to create and draw even while serving. He tragically died at just 24 years old, in March 1941, on the Albanian front during World War II.

In 1942, a retrospective exhibition was held in his honor at the Brera Art Gallery in Milan. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valor in 1947, and in 1962 his remains were finally returned to his beloved hometown of Dorgali.